Creator, Father, King #53

Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith.

ONE NIGHT, ABRAM WAS sitting in his tent with the troubles of life and the uncertainty of his future weighing heavily on him.

He had obeyed God’s command to go from Haran to Canaan, but he was still childless. By now, Abram was probably in his eighties, and his wife Sarai was in her seventies. How, Abram wondered, would God fulfill his great promise to make me into a great nation?

So on a beautiful, cloudless evening, God powerfully came to Abram in a vision.

“Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can,” God said. “That’s how many descendants you will have!” (Genesis 15:5).

God’s promise was bold . . . incredible . . . and seemingly impossible—impossible, that is, for man. But certainly not for God.

As Abram digested this seemingly audacious covenant, something amazing happened. He didn’t waffle between belief and doubt. He didn’t ask God for a list of previous miracles or references. As today’s verse says, “Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous.”

What’s It Mean?

Abram did not just show blind faith that night outside his tent. He showed remarkable, saving faith. Today’s verse, Genesis 15:6, is an essential verse in biblical soteriology (the doctrine of salvation), showing how God requires faith for someone to be justified (or considered righteous) before him.

This verse points to a beautiful work of grace in Abram’s heart. Abram hadn’t done anything noteworthy to merit God’s favor. He simply trusted in the Lord’s promise of future blessings, and through this faith, God credited righteousness to his account.

God’s promise sounded impossible. But in a wonderful display of faith, Abram believed that God could do the impossible, and God counted him as righteous for it. He later blessed Abram with a son, Isaac, through whom the nation of Israel would come.

God wants the same faith from you today. In fact, the Bible says righteousness without faith is not possible (Hebrews 11:6). You can’t earn God’s favor through works. You just need to believe in what he’s already accomplished for you (forgiveness of sins through Christ) and the promise of future blessings (most gloriously, eternal life with him).

Will you believe?

Now What?

The apostle Paul beautifully links Abram’s experience four thousand years ago to our lives today in Romans 4:23-25. Check it out!

Did You Know?

New Testament writers quoted today’s important verse four times—in Romans 4:3; Romans 4:22; Galatians 3:6; and James 2:23.